Military Social Work

Meet two USC MSWs who are finding unique ways to serve the military community.

Meet the newly minted MSWs dedicating their lives to military social work. Click through!

The fourth annual joint symposium between USC CIR and the King’s Centre for Military Health Research at King's College London promoted international collaboration to advance military social work practice on both the micro and macro levels. Click through to learn more.

Glen Peña has dedicated his life to helping others. After serving 9 1/2 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Peña continued pursuing his passion for service by enrolling in the military track of the MSW program at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Click through to learn more about him and his work

As part of our Military and Veterans Programs (MVP), the Military Academic Center (MAC) serves as the heart of the military social work track curriculum at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. The MAC provides social, academic and professional support to military track social work students, as well as all military-affiliated students at USC. Learn more by clicking through!------------

“My grandfather, who I have always been close to, is a veteran of the Chinese military. He cared for me as a child and has played a wonderful role in my life. Because of his influence, I’ve always had an interest in service members and veterans.” Read more about recent military social work grad Irene Zheng’s experience by clicking through

“Streamlining the path to meaningful employment for all veterans will require a coordinated, community-based approach that more effectively leverages existing resources and expertise at every stage in the workforce development pipeline,” said Gisele Corletto, head of the @LAVC Career Advancement Working Group, the members of which have developed a new digital platform that centralizes career development services for veterans. Learn more by clicking through.

“The only prerequisite for pursuing a career in military social work is caring about the military community,” says Carl Castro, associate professor and director of the USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families. Interested in providing service members, veterans and military families with the resources they need to thrive in every aspect of their lives? Click through to learn more about military social work career paths.

“It is in all of our best interests to evaluate the unique challenges and experiences of every military service member. This is a matter of national security and of human rights,” said Associate Professor Carl Castro, lead investigator of the Military Acceptance Project and director of the USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families. ⁣ Read more about MAP by clicking through. ⁣

“Permanent supportive housing solutions that offer wraparound services can greatly increase veterans’ access to critical care and enable them to enjoy a better quality of life,” said Associate Professor Ben Henwood, who is conducting research on ‘housing first’ PSH models that may help boost rates of housing stability among formerly homeless veterans. Click through to read more.

“I want to expand our understanding of what military social work can and should be,” says Clinical Associate Professor David Bringhurst, who advocates for a collaborative, family-integrated approach to military social work. Learn more clicking through!

“If military leaders understand that low performance outcomes are often not due to a flawed inclusion policy, but rather a failure to correctly implement that policy, they can begin to create a better climate for collaboration and mutual understanding,” said Professor Michalle Mor Barak, a leader of the MVP team that has received a million-dollar DoD grant to research this topic. Congrats to all! Click through to learn more.